Etymology: Common Germanic: Old English bęldo , in West Saxon bięldo , byldo boldness, courage = Old High German baldî , Middle High German belde confidence, feeling of security, Gothic balþei boldness, confidence < Germanic *balþjôn- , noun of quality < *balþo-z , Gothic balþs , Old High German bald , Old English bald , beald , bold adj. The evidence appears to show that modern Scots bield , beild is the same as the Middle English belde , the connection being through sense 3. But the matter is not without difficulty, and the derivation of Scots bield has been sought elsewhere, especially in connection with build, though without much success.

Etymology: < bield v. verb.

Etymology: Common Germanic: Old English (Anglian) bęldan , (West Saxon) bięldan , byldan = Old Saxon beldjan , Old High German baldên , Middle High German belden , Gothic balþjan ‘to make bold,’ < Germanic *balþ-oz bold n. The sense-development in Middle English was evidently influenced by that of the cognate noun (see bield n.), which it closely follows. In senses 1, 2, Middle English had another verb of precisely the same meaning, bealden , balden , bolden < Old English bealdian (see bold v.); but the latter never got the senses of ‘protect, shelter.’